'Videos of the Day' an ongoing thread

[Royzee617]

I like both progs up to a point - I see that Hammond now has yet another prog... how come such a little person can stretch so far. Soon he will be unwatchable due to his ominpresence. I like some of Brainiac but it gets repetitive and wearing. WOuld make a good half hour prog.

 

[Royzee617]

I thought those planes were Sukhois - rather than MiGs as the prog seems to think.

Seems you like Soviet planes... me too tho I have only ever seen the MiG 29 at an airshow. Saw the big Helo's and a Candid etc years ago at F'bro.

 

[Gnomey]

Nice video on the F-4 Roy. I agree with you R988 it was very annoying when Top Gear talked over the engines, there on so we can hear them not the presenter talking...

 

[Royzee617]

As usual these guys are there for self-promotion and don't care. Probably think we are cranks.

 

[Royzee617]

Always been fascinated by the F111. Seems incredible that they once considered using them aboard US carriers. But they did conduct trials - see here.

 

[Royzee617]

Nice short clip of A7 A6 and F4 planes aboard US carriers. Was there a nickname for the F4 or A6 in US Navy service?

 

[Gnomey]

Two nice clips there Roy. Enjoyed the first one. Not sure about nicknames, I know the F4 was the Phantom but not of any nicknames for it.

 

[Royzee617]

I think this is a MiG-27.... but I will not be surprised if I am wrong...might be a MiG-23.

So, Mr G you have not heard of F4 nicknames... St Louis Slugger, Rhino, and it is called Kurnass in the Israeli AF meaning 'Hammer' (very appropriate)? Double Ugly; Old Smokey; Elephant (Luftwaffe nickname).

Meanwhile, in December the "Greek Airforce's F-4 Phantom fighter planes were retired from active service on Friday, after a last flight by the aircraft with National Defence Minister Spilios Spiliotopoulos as co-pilot.

The minister was at the head of a formation of four aircraft that flew over Thessaly and then landed at the military airport, where a ceremony for the retirement of the 337th squadron of the 110th battle wing was underway.

The minister had arrived at the airforce base in Larissa early on Friday morning in a C-130 military transport plane, accompanied by MP for Larissa Christos Zois and Greek Airforce chief Lt. Gen. George Avlonitis.

After the farewell flight, Spiliotopoulos said he was very moved and later announced that the squadron will be reformed in 2006 with 20 F-16 fighter aircraft, which are top of the range in the Greek Airforce.

During the ceremony, Spiliotopoulos was presented with an aircraft cockpit and the men in the squadron gave him a model of an F-4 Phantom with the serial number 500 and the markings of the first Phantom plane that came to Greece with Spilios Spiliotopoulos as its pilot, which also flew during the conflict on Cyprus on July 14, 1974.

The F-4 Phantom was legendary for its versatility and effectiveness, which earned it the nickname "Phabulous Phantom". It has gone down in history as one of the most successful supersonic jet fighters, capable of flying almost any kind of mission, as well as the most long-lasting. The first Phantoms went into the air in 1958 and the production line ended in 1978, making it one of the longest in the world."

 

[Royzee617]

BBC opens news archives to surfers
Free clips for non-commercial use
http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2147986/bbc-opens-news-archives
Ken Young, vnunet.com 04 Jan 2006
http://www.bbc.co.uk/calc/news/
ADVERTISEMENTThe BBC has opened its news archives to users in the UK for the first time in its 75 year history.

Nearly 80 items are being offered in a trial covering many iconic events of the past 50 years, including behind-the-scenes footage of the 1966 England football team before their World Cup win in 1966.

The bulletins, available online, are provided under what is known as the Creative Archive Licence. This allows the copying, editing, mixing and sharing of clips for non-commercial use.

The BBC first outlined plans to make the archive available in 2003, and the initiative was strongly supported by then director general Greg Dyke.

Releasing the items, offered as the Open News Archive, means that the BBC has now doubled the number of programme extracts it originally made available through a trial with Radio 1 Interactive.

Helen Boaden, director of BBC News, said: "This trial is an important step in allowing us to share with our audiences the extraordinary news archive which the BBC has recorded over the years. We look forward to getting their reaction."

The BBC will release further material across other areas over the coming months. The British Film Institute, Channel 4, the Open University and Teachers' TV are also set to make more content available.

 

[Royzee617]

For example, Concorde's last flight:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/calc/news/aip.shtml?id=00000205

Of course there's lots of the usual grim stuff... like Charles Camilla's wedding etc.

 

[Royzee617]

BTW you have to sign up for viewing...

 

[Gnomey]

I haven't heard of any of the nicknames for the F-4 because I haven't looked into it at all, most of my research as been into those from WW2 (and not so much WW1) rather than the modern aircraft although I am reading more know.

Good clip up there Roy, not sure which one of the Mig-2*'s it was though.

It is good to see the BBC open their archives like that, I registered and that was a good clip of the Concorde (although sad knowing it will never fly again).

 

[cheddar cheese]

Looks like a MiG-23 to me...Nice clip.

 

[R988]

It's definately a MiG-23, and yes I do have a strange fascination with soviet aircraft, especially the cold war types, I have a visit to the Monino air museum in Moscow fairly high on my 'must visit' lists.

Also that was an F-8 Crusader not and A-7 Corsair in the other vid, though the two look similar, the giveaway is the unique wing on the F-8, which varies the entire entire wing up or down so the wing can be kept at an appropriate angle for carrier landing speed but the pilot can still see forward rather than be nose up. Incidently it was also the last Navy fighter to be designed with guns and dogfighting as it's main weapon (short range missiles were later added). It's also used (or was, I think they are now retired) by the French Navy as seen below.

Good to see the F-111 again, used to see them at airshows all the time back in Australia, used to put on an impressive display including the fuel dump burn trick which they do all the time in Australia but apparently hardly ever did in the US. It's not hard to believe they were going to operate it from a carrier though, the F-14 wasn't much different in size and dont forget the RA-5 Vigilante and A-3 Skywarrior, the latter is as far as I know the largest aircraft designed to be operated from a carrier (as opposed to one off stuff like the C-130 landings and so on).

RA-5 Vigilante

A-3 Skywarrior

Dwarfing an F-4

 

[Royzee617]

Wow! Thanks for the thorough replies - makes it more worthwhile doing this by far.

Interesting that I should mistake the MiG Slayer for the Sluff... argh! The Crusader is one of my 'fave' planes. Must have been in a hurry (as usual).

I also like the Vigilante - superb shape. The USN really has been remarkable with operating such large planes off a deck. I suppose today it's soon going to be a variant of the F18 - even for COD and AEW/tanking!?

Bit of a contrast to everyone else's carriers - all we had were Gannets and the like. French too. Indians as well.

 

[Royzee617]

Next installment in the F14 saga - nice shots of the prototype and its first flight... bet you can't wait for the clip of the second flight... joke for those in the know.

 

[Gnomey]

Good video, Roy, nice inflight footage of the F-14 there.

 

[lesofprimus]

I grew up on Long Island Roy, of course I know what happened during the second flight...

 

[R988]

I read the magazine article so I know as well

 

[Royzee617]

I have been having PC troubles. Got a new DVD writer fitted only for the NIC to play up, all done now thou, fingers crossed.

So here is the next in the sequence. This is as you have rightly said, contains the demise of one of the prototypes. Sad loss for the program but worse was to come....

Sorry that the vid is a bit washed out. May have been the old source. Perhaps I will also post the mpg which is a bit better.